The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today launched a new industry-wide enforcement programme, which will monitor and examine whether in-contract price rises were being set out clearly enough by broadband ISP and phone providers before customers signed up. In an ideal world, the price you’re asked to pay when you first sign-up to a new […]

The Building Digital UK team has published their latest quarterly Winter 2022 update for the Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme, which summarises some good progress, but also reveals that procurements for Lancashire, Surrey and Oxfordshire and West Berkshire have had to be deferred. Just to recap. Project Gigabit aims to extend networks capable […]

Mobile network operator Three UK has confirmed that some of their customers, across different parts of the country, may currently be experiencing problems making and receiving calls (e.g. incoming calls are going straight to voicemail). The issue appears to have started at just after 6am this morning. In a brief statement, the operator said a […]

A couple of months ago Vodafone enhanced their existing range of home broadband (FTTC / FTTP) services by launching a new “Pro Broadband II” plan (here), which saw them become the first UK ISP to bundle a Wi-Fi 6E router (Ultra Hub) and mesh system (Super WiFi). The operator has now expanded this to their […]

Gigabit broadband ISP YouFibre, which sells packages via Netomnia and Cityfibre’s respective Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) networks, has launched a new pre-Christmas broadband offer that will be available until 12th December. Packages now start at just £19 per month for 150Mbps and £29 for 920Mbps on an 18-month term. As usual each package offers unlimited usage, symmetrical […]

Contributed Article

At the 25th AfricaCom (AfricaCom 2022) themed “Driving Inclusive, Sustainable Growth Through Tech Investment”, Openserve and Huawei jointly unveiled the new home networking solution — fiber to the room (FTTR). In addition, Openserve outlined its plan to put FTTR products into commercial use in the near future, aiming to provide optimal fiber broadband experience for users across South Africa.

As a subsidiary of Telkom SA, Openserve is the largest fixed network operator in South Africa, and is committed to providing premium broadband networks for home and enterprise users. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, home office, online learning, and entertainment activities have surged, placing greater demands on bandwidth and online experience. Openserve believes that the FTTR solution can give them a competitive edge in the broadband market and significantly improve end users’ home network experience.

During the AfricaCom exhibition, Motlalepula Ramaisa, Executive of Commercial Products & Innovation of Openserve, spoke with Matthew Reed, Chief Analyst of Omdia, and described the commercial FTTR pilot projects carried out by Openserve and Huawei in South Africa. He noted how well the FTTR network was received by pilot users. According to one user: “Even in a large house, I can enjoy an optimal Internet access experience with high-speed Wi-Fi coverage at every corner.”

FTTR consists of one master FTTR unit and several slave FTTR units connected by optical fibers, realizing indoor all-optical networking. The Master and Slave communicate with each other through optical fibers, which avoiding Wi-Fi signal interference and attenuation in distant rooms. In this way, full Wi-Fi signal coverage and seamless roaming can be achieved throughout the house, providing consistent Wi-Fi access and premium service experience anywhere in the home. Compare with Wi-Fi Mesh (Wi-Fi cascading to expand network coverage) solution, which Internet access rate may be impacted due to attenuation and interference when signals penetrate walls, but it is still an alternative way of Wi-Fi connection.

Moreover, the FTTR solution lets users manage the network themselves. Users can use a mobile app to easily manage their home networks anytime and anywhere, including checking the network status, device connection status, and Wi-Fi signal coverage, as well as performing a speed test, parental control, and one-click optimization or rectification of common network faults.

The FTTR solution was well received in the pilot projects. Owing to the high-speed Wi-Fi coverage, seamless roaming handover, and intelligent and visualized home network management, it provides users with an ultimate Wi-Fi experience. Building on the success of the cooperation with Huawei, Openserve plans to launch commercial FTTR products in 2023 to provide an optimal home broadband service experience across South Africa.

The post Openserve Set to Launch Range of FTTR Products in 2023 first appeared on Total Telecom.

The UK Government has today launched a series of new trials that aims to leverage the new generation of compact satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in order to deliver faster and more capable broadband connectivity to some of the remotest locations, which full fibre (FTTP) would otherwise struggle to reach. At present the Government’s […]

Network access provider Openreach (BT) is stepping up their preparations for another harsh winter, which last year saw multiple street cabinets and 750 “telephone poles” damaged in storms (example). Such damage can cause significant disruption to broadband and phone services, but the operator aims to do better this year. Naturally, flooding, snow, major power cuts […]

News

Current subscribers have until tomorrow to fully register their SIM card with their national identity card or else see the cards deactivated

Back in October last year, the Ghanaian government announced new legislation requiring mobile customers to link their SIM cards with their Ghana Card ID, aiming to help increase accountability and crack down on fraud.

This left the operators with the unenviable task of encouraging their mobile subscribers ­– collectively totalling over 40 million – to complete the two-stage registration process.

The first stage of this process is simple enough, simply registering the SIM card alongside a national identity card online. The second stage, however, required users to biometrically scan themselves at a physical store so that this data too could be linked to their account.

The original deadline for this process was set at the end of March 2022, but it quickly became apparent that this date was far too ambitious, with many Ghanaians notably struggling to complete the biometric stage of the process due to difficulty accessing facilities.

As a result, the government subsequently delaying the deadline multiple times, the most recent of which falls tomorrow, December 1.

In recent months, the drive for registrations has picked up pace. In August, the operators introduced a self-service SIM registration app, allowing customers to use photos taken on their phone’s camera to complete the full registration process.

Similarly, penalties have gradually introduced for those that have not yet registered, including voice calls being re-routed to a special reminder message before being connected, and data services being cut off for 48 hours per week.

Despite this, millions of Ghanaians still have yet to complete the full registration. MTN Ghana notes that 22.1 million subscribers have completed Stage 1 of the process, linking their SIM to their Ghana Card ID, but only 16.4 million of those had completed the Stage 2 relating to biometric capture.

As a result, around 5.7 million SIMs are set to be fully deactivated tomorrow.

All deactivated SIM cards can be reactivated within six months after the switch off by completing the bio-capture process.

This is not the only market in which MTN is struggling when it comes to official SIM registration. The Nigerian government implemented similar laws back in 2020, ordering customers to link their SIM cards to their National Identity Numbers.

Despite the final deadline to complete this registration similarly being pushed back multiple times, implementing the legislation ultimately has ultimately cost MTN Nigeria over 7.5 million subscribers over the past two years.

Also in the news:
SKT takes its Ifland metaverse platform global
CMA probes Apple and Google over browser “duopoly”
Vodacom launches National Relay Service to boost digital inclusion

The post MTN Ghana set to lose almost 6m subscribers in SIM switch off first appeared on Total Telecom.

Press Release

Samsung delivers range of O-RAN compliant 5G radios covering comprehensive set of NTT DOCOMO’s 5G spectrum holdings — 3.4GHz, 3.7GHz, 4.5GHz and 28GHz

Samsung Electronics today announced the company is supplying a variety of 5G radios to support NTT DOCOMO’s Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) expansion. Samsung will now provide a range of Open RAN-compliant 5G radios covering all of the Time Division Duplex (TDD) spectrum bands held by the operator.

This builds upon the two companies’ 5G agreement previously-announced in March 2021, in which NTT DOCOMO selected Samsung as its 5G network solutions provider. Samsung now adds new radios — including 3.7GHz, 4.5GHz and 28GHz — to its existing 3.4GHz radio support for NTT DOCOMO.

This expanded portfolio from Samsung will enable NTT DOCOMO to leverage its broad range of spectrum across Japan to build a versatile 5G network for diversifying their services offered to consumers and businesses. The companies have also been testing the interoperability of these new radios with basebands from various vendors in NTT DOCOMO’s commercial network environment.

“We have been collaborating with Samsung since the beginning of 5G and through our Open RAN expansion, and we are excited to continue extending our scope of vision together,” said Masafumi Masuda, Vice President and General Manager of the Radio Access Network Development Department at NTT DOCOMO. “Solidifying our global leadership, we will continue to build momentum around our Open RAN innovation and to provide highly scalable and flexible networks to respond quickly to the evolving demands of our customers.”

“Japan is home to one of the world’s most densely populated areas with numerous skyscrapers and complex infrastructure. Samsung’s industry-leading 5G radios portfolio meets the demands of low-footprint, low-weight solutions, while also ensuring reliable service quality,” said Satoshi Iwao, Vice President and Head of Network Division at Samsung Electronics Japan. “As NTT DOCOMO continues to accelerate its Open RAN innovation, we look forward to working together to deliver a richer experience to consumers and generating new business opportunities.”

With today’s announcement, Samsung introduces its new 28GHz Radio Unit (RU) for the first time — as a new addition to its portfolio of leading mmWave solutions. This RU, which weighs less than 4.5kg (~10lbs), features a light and compact form factor with very low power consumption, enabling flexible deployments in various scenarios. Additionally, Samsung’s 3.4GHz, 3.7GHz and 4.5GHz radios are also Open RAN-compliant and designed to deliver high performance and reliability.

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio from virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.

Also in the news:
SKT takes its Ifland metaverse platform global
CMA probes Apple and Google over browser “duopoly”
Vodacom launches National Relay Service to boost digital inclusion

The post NTT Docomo calls in Samsung for Open RAN first appeared on Total Telecom.